The Abundances of the Elements in the Solar Atmosphere.

Abstract

The method of weighting functions has been utilized to derive the abundances of forty-two elements from faint and medium-strong lines in the solar spectrum. The model atmosphere adopted is that of Aller and Pierce as extended by Elste to both higher and deeper layers. The chief sources of equivalent widths were the measurements by Allen and by the Utrecht astronomers, but a substantial number of new measurements were included from McMath-Hulbert Observatory data. TheJ-values were taken from many different sources, but, whenever possible, experimental measurements were employed. When laboratory data were not available, they were replaced by theoretical values based on the assumption of LS coupling and making use of the f-sum rule or of the Bates and Damgaard tables for the absolute scale factor. A detailed description is given of the derivation of the abundance of each element, including the major sources of uncertainty, such as the errors in the measurement of weak lines throughout the spectrum and of all lines in the ultraviolet region, uncertainties in the solar model for ultraviolet lines, and the unreliable character of many of the f-values employed.